Islamist parties are on course to dominate Egypt's first post-revolution
parliament after taking most votes in early results from the first round of
elections.

Both the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which is backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and its rivals agreed that it was leading the count in the first tranche of nine out of Egypt's 27 governorates, including its two most important cities, Cairo and Alexandria.

More unexpected was the apparent success of the FJP's radical rival, Nour, which represents a movement of Salafis inspired by the puritanical political Islam of Saudi Arabia.

Its lack of previous involvement in political campaigning had been viewed as a handicap. But it may have won as much as ten per cent of the vote, according to some estimates, challenging the main liberal coalition for second place.

The result suggests the various Islamist parties could form an overall majority in the parliament.

Final results, which will not emerge until after the third and final round of voting in the new year, may differ greatly from the early stages, particularly after the individual candidates who make up a third of seats are subjected to "run-offs". In these, voters supporting the wide variety of liberal, secular and moderate parties may coalesce against the Islamists.

But there has been no doubting the triumphant mood of the Muslim Brotherhood's senior figures this week, as they celebrate a moment of electoral victory after 80 years of almost constant repression.

Its rigidly managed and hierarchical structure, which has contributed to apprehension among Arab governments and secular groups, has made it a formidable foe.

It has also made many feel it is more likely to be able to rule competently than its idealistic but often divided and chaotic liberal rivals.

"I believe they will be very organised," said Marwan Hamdy, 28, a businessman who cast two of his three ballots for the party.

He said he trusted the Muslim Brotherhood's promises that its vision of Islam was "voluntary" and that it could live side by side with secular and Christian Egyptians. "They don't want to force anyone to do anything," he said. "I don't deny that there are some extremists in Egypt but the percentage of them is very small."

The FJP is dominated by senior Brotherhood figures but it has also appointed a vice-president from the Coptic Christian minority. It says it is inspired by the success of the Turkish Justice and Development Party, which has promoted Islamic dress but within Turkey's secular constitution, and has also engineered rapid economic growth.

It pours scorn on suggestions that it wants to see the introduction of "Islamic" punishments and to ban alcohol and force women to wear hijab, or the head-scarf.

The Nour party, on the other hand, says it would impose strict Sharia, exempting only non-Muslims in the privacy of their homes. Its wider programme is not clear, and a role for it in government would likely scare many potential outside investors.

The relationship of the parliament to the government is in any case not yet settled. At present, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took over the powers of the toppled President Hosni Mubarak, appoints the prime minister.

Mohammed Morsi, the head of the FJP, said that power should now revert to parliament. "A government that is not based on a parliamentary majority cannot conduct its work in practice," he said.

Results from the first round of counting will be formally announced today, after a delay caused by a high turn-out estimated at 70 per cent.